Oilbased decorative cosmetics, such as lipstick, foundation, mascara or eye shadow, are normally removed from the skin by a two-stage procedure. First, greasy skin soils are removed with massage creme, cleansing creme, cleansing oil, cleansing gel and/or other face washes which combine well with decorative cosmetics. In a second step, greasy residues remaining on the skin, tallow and other soils are washed off with soap or cleansing foams. This two-stage cleansing of the skin is necessary because, where formulations containing oil components in relatively large amounts (for example massage cremes) are used, the oil components remaining on the skin cannot be sufficiently removed by subsequent rinsing with cold or luke-warm water, so that no feeling of freshness can be imparted to the skin. If, by contrast, washing formulations alone, such as soaps, are used to cleanse the skin, pigments and other coloring substances surrounded by oil components cannot be removed. In recent years, however, there has been a demand for easy-to-use cosmetics and make-up removers which are capable of removing decorative cosmetics in a single wash and of imparting a fresh, non-greasy "washed" feeling. Corresponding one-step formulations are known, for example, from JP-A Sho 63/122618, JP-A Hei 04/005213 and JP-A Hei 07/215842. These formulations are single-phase or two-phase face washes which contain certain nonionic surfactants in combination with water-soluble substances. In addition, foaming washes based on certain nonionic surfactants and anionic surfactants are known from JP-A Hei 07/215840, JP-A Hei 07/304630 and JP-A Hel 07/29/831. Unfortunately, these one-step face washes are still unsatisfactory in two respects. First, they have a poor skin-cleansing effect with respect to decorative cosmetics which, in recent years, have contained increasing levels of oil components or even film formers. Second, the sensorial impression which they impart, for example as regards spreading or slip on application to the skin, is in need of improvement.
Reference is also made in this connection to DE 2024051 C3 (Henkel) which describes the use of ethoxylated partial glycerides as refatting agents.
Accordingly, the problem addressed by the invention was to provide cosmetic formulations, particularly skin cleansers, which would cleanse the skin in one step and, in doing so, would completely remove cosmetics, particularly decorative cosmetics, for example make-up, eye shadow, rouge, kajal, mascara, lipstick and the like. For aesthetic reasons, the formulations would be single-phase, transparent and low-viscosity formulations and would not lose these properties, even in the event of storage at relatively high temperatures. Finally, the formulations would leave behind a sensorially agreeable light feeling.